Evacuating Vulnerable People During a Tsunami Disaster in Japan: A Simulation Using Wheelchairs

Abstract

Safe, rapid evacuation during natural disasters is particularly challenging for people who are vulnerable and/or need assistance. This study evaluated the feasibility of an evacuation route from a residential area to a designated destination for wheelchair-bound people and their caregivers. Thirteen individuals participated in an evacuation simulation in which they pushed wheelchairs carrying individuals from a start point to a designated destination along a specified route. The simulation was implemented on September 9, 2018, between 9:00 AM and noon. The weather was recorded hourly. Individuals in the wheelchairs were weighted to equal the average weight for Japanese men aged ≥65 years. The route comprised three sections: two were within the predicted tsunami inundation zone and one was on higher ground. The gradients, distances, and altitudes of the three sections were determined using official documentation. Participants were videotaped as they traversed the route, and their speeds and times recorded as the wheelchairs crossed from one section to the next. Immediately upon reaching the destination, participants completed a questionnaire assessing the physical effects of the activity. The route was 280.6 m long with a total vertical increase of 13.9 m. Mean total transit time was 3 min 25 s, and the mean time taken to evacuate the predicted tsunami inundation zone (at 210.2 m) was 2 min 15 s. All participants’ speeds were slowest in the third section, which had the steepest gradient (11.14%). Ten participants reported moderate difficulty, difficulty pushing, and sweating. Nine participants reported shortness of breath. The results support use of the evacuation destination during a predicted earthquake tsunami ≥8 m high at landfall.